Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in New York City today with no announced public schedule, while Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy is scheduled to attend the dedication of the restored Riviera Theatre Marquee in North Tonawanda at 11 a.m.

On to the headlines…

The federal judge in former state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s second corruption trial, due to start Monday, has agreed to Bruno’s request for shorter court days on the condition that Bruno doesn’t use the early dismissal time simply to chat with the press outside the courthouse. (TU)

The owners of the Saratoga Springs racino, fresh from a dispute with the city that forced them to scuttle plans for a full-blown casino there, have now revised their environmental assessment paperwork for a separate $30 million expansion to drop the city and county as “involved” agencies. (TU)

Among the 120 tanker cars inspected by the state Wednesday at a rail yard near the Port of Albany, five defects were found. Everything was all clear at the Selkirk Rail Yard, where another 103 cars were examined. (TU)

Times Union: The question of whether to legalize medical marijuana has for far too long been a political football. It’s time for politicians to end a game they have played as people have suffered needlessly on the sidelines.

New York Times: It’s true that not everyone in Westchester shares the vehemence of the county executive. It’s also quite likely that some local communities and legislators are eager to find a solution to uphold the rule of law, preserve vital government financing and undo the damage done by Mr. Astorino’s defiance. If so, there is no time like now to prove it.

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“Among the 120 tanker cars inspected by the state Wednesday at a rail yard near the Port of Albany, five defects were found. Everything was all clear at the Selkirk Rail Yard, where another 103 cars were examined. (TU)”
Good that this was done, now maybe it will quiet down Chicken Little Cuomo and his minions’ the sky is falling and NYS is going to blow up mantra. 223 cars inspected in Albany and only 5 defects found. Unfortunate the TU didn’t dig a little deeper and get the data from DOT and SP on many violations are found for every 223 truck inspections or ambulance inspections. A comparison would be helpful. You know, tell the whole story.

Interesting that these same tank cars might carry crude oil or they could carry ethanol. I wonder what the re-Progessives who constantly shout, big oil bad-green energy good will make of this?

Our roads are testiment to a fact no union apologist can spin. Despite hideous taxes on fuel registration insurance and property, the costs of having gold plated unionist maintaining our roads are crowding out the budget. There isn’t money left to repair, much less improve. We are fleeing and dieing for their undemocratically extorted ill gotten gains. “Enjoy working for minimum wage at three jobs just to get by while you serve tax free 50 year old retirees another meal out? Thank unions”

Lovers of the Adirondacks are praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow federal environmental regulators to crackdown on downwind air pollution from the Midwest that has caused acid rain in New York’s most-beloved mountains. (ADE)
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Lets not forget the people who live in the Adirondack Park too. They have had to tolerate unhealthy environmental conditions resulting from wind driven acid rain and air borne pollutants for decades, some for their entire lives. If Federal regulators will now begin to utilize their enforcement powers to ameliorate the problem, life for all, in the north country, will improve. But, that is an awfully big “If”.

From JCE:Did you get paywalled? I was able to access it, and I don’t have a subscription. I try to only link to free stuff. If you can’t get through — trade secret here — just Google the headline. Then mail a check for 37 cents to Rupert Murdoch. It’s the honor system.

Despite slight improvements, the condition of New York’s highway system is still lagging behind nearly every other state, according to a soon-to-be-released report. (C&S)
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Lets face it, New York’s 19,000,000 residents give their highways, bye-ways and roadways a pounding beyond the imaginations of those people who planned for and began building our transportation network 40 to 70 years ago. Save and except the Thruway and Northway, the imortal Robert Moses (The Power Broker) designed most of what we have in the way of connecting roads and bridges back in the 1930′s and 40′s. He did a wonderful job but sooner or later, every one of his project’s useful life was bound to expire. No one since has come along with the guile and knowhow to pull together the resources and political moxie needed to replicate Moses incredible feats of construction and design. There are too many vested interests, too little resources and no one with enough political muscle to make it all happen. On top of that, the Federal government (the bank for most road and bridge construction) is broke, having wasted billions intended for infrastructure improvements on jingoistic wars and catering to the filthy rich with tax giveaways, during the lion’s share of the past three decades.

The federal judge in former state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s second corruption trial, due to start Monday, has agreed to Bruno’s request for shorter court days on the condition that Bruno doesn’t use the early dismissal time simply to chat with the press outside the courthouse. (TU)
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If ex-Senator Bruno can’t make it through an 8-hour trial day, how is he going to make it through 24-hour days behind bars. Am I getting the sneaking suspicion that old Joe is going to be found guilty but sentenced to home confinement for reasons of ill health… or what? All in all, it might be the best outcome for this case considering his age and the fact he has had this matter hanging over his head for 3-4 years. That in and of itself is a pretty hefty penalty, considering the fact justice is supposed to be swift according to our constitution. I am glad not to be in his shoes.

Tech firms are beginning to defy government demands that they not disclose to customers when their data is being accessed by the government. (WP)
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Hey, the War On Terror started 13 years ago. If the Federal government hasn’t got enough information in hand by now to catch the bad guys hidden among us, they never will. So, as they say in Brooklyn, “ffffaggeedddabbooouuddditttt”, Washington!

Wow, 41 percent of New Yorkers would leave if they had the chance. That must mean that 59 percent work for the government. A sad, sad statistic indeed. But, you get what you pay for – massive, out-of-control bureaucracy, highest taxes in the nation, invasive regulations and laws from time wasting bureaucrats and corrupt legislators. I hope 41 percent do leave, teach these bloodsucking unions and bureaucrats a lesson.

Well Speaker Silver, you certainly have Chutzpah.
First, You, along with Gov. Cuomo, & Sen, Klein, claim you support Publicly Financed elections, real Reform.
Then all 3 of you support a budget WITHOUT Publicly Financed elections, claiming that Sen. Skelos is to blame.
The 3 of you could have INSISTED on Publicly Financed elections in the budget.
But you let Skelos have his way.
All 4 of you SOLD OUT the interests of average NYers.
And now you tell WFP to let Cuomo off the hook?
I don’t think WFP will fall for this.
And maybe its time for folks to start thinking about a primary challenger to Silver…

Sheldon Silver is wrong. Ever since Bill Clinton turned the Democratic Party into a Republican wannabe party in the mid nineties, we have been told that we simply have to accept it. Yes, there is a risk that Astorino could indirectly be helped to a victory, but that is a risk which must be accepted. There has to be an alternative candidate.

and in news that didn’t make the TU (unless I missed it?) -
The GOP is up to its’ dirty tricks in NY’s southern tier. A GOP operative tried to get a Green party candidate on the ballot WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE, to take away votes from progressive Democrat Martha Robertson, who is running against party-line Republican Tom Reid. see http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/tom-reed-green-party-ballot-petition

(..The federal judge in former state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s second corruption trial, due to start Monday, has agreed to Bruno’s request for shorter court days on the condition that Bruno doesn’t use the early dismissal time simply to chat with the press outside the courthouse. (TU)..)
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Actually, Judge Sharpe should retire.
He is a splendid case for term limits for federal judges, including the Supremes.

And AG Holder should remove the Northern District federal lawyers.

This Bruno so-called retrial should be dismissed on double jeopardy argument.

(..A member of Gov. Cuomo’s defunct anti-corruption Moreland Commission said the panel had unearthed potential criminal deeds by as many as a dozen lawmakers before the committee was euthanized in an ethics deal between Cuomo and legislative leaders. (DN)…)
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This is likely accurate; and it should be a issue in the governor’s race.

(…Now that Chelsea is pregnant, and life for Hillary can get so deeply familial and pleasant, she can have her glory-filled post-presidency now, without actually having to deal with the miseries of the office itself. She is as adored as any ex-president already, she is making a ton of money, and she can expand the real passion of her life, her global mission to promote women’s rights, education, and political participation. The spotlight follows her and always will. If she becomes president at 68 it will be another press onslaught from hell and such a hog-tied two terms, only the festive delights of hip replacement surgery will await her by the time she gets out. Leave the presidency to the people who don’t know what she knows all too well: what it’s really like….)
Tina Brown, The Daily Beasthttp://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/02/don-t-run-for-president-hillary-become-a-post-president-instead.html

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Tina Brown is spot-on in arguing for HRC not to run for, and serve, as POTUS.

HRC is keeping the speculation alive to help the Clinton Foundation garner its’ $250-350 million fund raising goal.
She is also getting gobs of mullah for speeches.

A successful POTUS historically serves 2 terms; and is able to help his/her party’s nominee win in the contest following the two terms.

Obama will serve 2 terms, but the success of his Presidency and the ability to have a Dem. follow him to the WH is iffy, and is premature to predict.

HRC, and Bill, will wait for the results of the off-year Nov. election, and if the Senate tips to the GOP, the next 2 1/2 years will be hell for Obama and any 2016 POTUS candidate.

Totally agree. Its interesting how full of himself he still is, he loves the press. If he had the strength to be at Ms Whitneys luncheon at the track last summer and get his picture taken for the TU seen smiling chatting etc , he has the strength for the trial without special accommodations. The Judge asked him last go around not to talk to the press and he defied him. 85 or not he thinks he’s bigger than the law. Teflon Joe, he deserves jail he’s a crook.

Elmer, if supporting more traditional liberal values like the New Deal, Social Security, unions, minimum wage laws that actually mean something, proper regulations on business, proper progressive tax brackets for income and business taxes without huge crony caputalist giveaways to the wealthy and big business, not giving away the farm on international trade deal… Ad infinitum… Makes us a “fringe wing” in you’re view – you know very little about the Democratic party or traditional liberalism.
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The DLC, and now the Third Way have turned much of the Democratic party into little more then Republican-lite. Just because you feel the party should move with the Overton window doesn’t mean everyone does, and shifting rightward as the DLC and now the Third Wayers have done to the party has just allowed more and more rightward movement for Republicans. The Democratic parties rightward shift has enabled the Republicans to move so far right that they’re now the party of the crazy.
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There is little “left” in mainstream politics anymore – not in any traditional sense of what “left” meant.
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But you go on and keep believing your centrist view from nowhere somehow gives you some sort of political wisdom because you’re “post-partisan” or whatever it is you label yourself.
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As far as Silvers comments – you know liberals are pissed Mr. Speaker. Maybe as the second highest ranking member of our party in this state you can start doing a bit more to undermine Cuomo legislatively – or behind the scenes politically. Because currently, your conference does little more than enable his Third Way nonsense.

sammy,
I predict the WFP doesn’t have the guts to put up someone against Gov. Cuomo. I hope I’m wrong, but doubt it.
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I must agree with gecannonphd on Judge Sharpe and the entire Bruno witch hunt. It’s been 10 years they have been trying to get him. Give it up Feds, you had your chance.

There is little “left” in mainstream politics anymore – not in any traditional sense of what “left” meant.
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Or that “left” has moved so far to the “left” that it only represents 1% of the population. I wish the “left” you are apart of ran someone for POTUS 2016 as the Dem candidate… it would ensure the GOP runner would get 70 to 75% of the vote.

@Responsible Liberal – Public finance for campaigns would be a DISASTER…for the 1% Corporate Elite who would no longer be able to BUY elections. For the 99% of us who are not rich enough to BUY politicians, it would mean OUR VOICES matter.
But thanks again for reminding everyone that the Republican party line is ALWAYS on the side of the 1% Corporate Elite.

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